TRUE STORIES

G2X-D

In 2011, the Southeast was struck by a deadly tornado outbreak that would go down in history as one of the most destructive natural disasters to strike the region in recent decades. I was deployed as a storm chaser with my weather team in northern Alabama. Around 6 p.m., just before sunset, the team encountered a large EF-4-rated tornado near Ohatchee, Alabama. The tornado wrought a path of destruction through a neighborhood there that was over a mile and a half wide.

With reports of victims trapped and daylight waning, the team's mission quickly changed from chasing to search-and-rescue alongside other first responders. As my team entered the darkness of the scene, lighting our way was my trusty SureFire Z2X CombatLight® and my backup G2X™ flashlight. Using these lights, we were able to assist firefighters and paramedics as they began searching the rubble. The lights were particularly useful when our three-member team, along with a medic, entered the basement of a destroyed home where a family of six was trapped. With one victim having spinal injuries, we were able to provide the light needed to begin treating this victim before later helping light the path as we carried her through the debris field to a waiting ambulance. Following this rescue, the lights also guided our team back out of the disaster area on foot when another severe storm threatened the scene.

There is no doubt in my mind that, without our SureFire lights that evening, we would not have successfully completed our mission that night. That is why, when severe weather threatens and my team prepares to go out on a storm chase, my SureFire lights are one of the first pieces of gear we pack.

Hayden J.
Rome, GA

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My name is Scott, and I've been flying as a flight RN (registered nurse), doing helicopter rescue work for about 20 years. Part of my flight suit gear, which I never depart without, is my SureFire G2X Pro, which fits nicely in my flight suit. One evening, we had mandatory NVG (night vision goggles) recertification training, where we had to go out with the pilot and FAA Check Airman, utilizing our NVGs. My regular pilot went into a bank, and at that point, the hydraulics locked up, rendering flying the aircraft impossible. Our altitude was about 500 feet, and it didn’t take long to hit the ground. It was a hellish sound, impacting the ground, making everything black immediately. The turbine engine above me was still running but destroying itself. Both pilots were knocked unconscious and unable to shut down the aircraft.

Remembering our training on how to shut down the aircraft, I looked up for the master switch, but the entire roof was missing and there was NO switch to turn off. My second option was to find the throttle. It was pitch black in the desert and, without my SureFire flashlight, I'd never have found the throttle through the unconscious pilots and debris. I managed to roll the throttle off after finding it, and the horrid sound of the self-destroying turbine engine finally stopped. I knew that we would all live at that point.

Thank you, SureFire, for creating such a robust light. It saved all three of our lives that night—without a doubt.

Scott T.
Norman, Oklahoma

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I joined the Royal Thai Army Reserve Force (ARFS) and had just come back from the annual field exercise as a student platoon leader of 55 men. During the second night of the exercise, we were performing night combat and explosives tactics. During the session, I noticed that one of my teammates had fainted.

I pulled out my G2X™ Pro from my pocket and lit up its low-output mode in the total darkness. The guy had signs of hyperventilation, so we gave him first aid by taking off some of his clothes and giving him some water. One of my men and I carried him to the standby ambulance, and I used my G2X to light up the path. With its 200 lumens of bright light, I could easily spot the ambulance parked 400 meters away. As we marched back to our rest area, an instructor summoned me and asked to take a look at my flashlight. It was the brightest one he had ever seen, and he was surprised by its small size.

Thank you, SureFire. My mate was able to return to the training due to the immediate medical attention he received because your product made it so much easier to get him to the ambulance.